It turns out we didn’t need to look for the starting point of our Small Group Boat Excursion to Capri because we were picked up by a van in the morning. The location of our marina was not any where near the point we discovered last night, but on the outskirts of Sorrento. After taking an elevator down from the top of the cliffs overlooking the sea, we ended up at a small marina where we were placed on a powerful boat along with 10 other people plus two crew members. Our fellow passengers were friendly and it was fun spending time with them. They included a young couple finally able to take their honeymoon, a family with 3 teenagers from Seattle, and a husband and wife traveling with their 6 year old son from Vancouver.
I can’t imagine a more beautiful day for a trip to Capri. It looked like hundreds of boats full of tourists were all heading to the island, and in the distance sailboats were competing in a race. Capri is rugged and mountainous with a variety of caves or grottoes set into its coastline. The boat took us close to several of them, many of which had stalagtites visible.
One popular tourist site is the Blue Grotto. We were given the option to join the line of boats gathered there, or go with an alternative. Our guide said he had his own private cave we could visit, but we would have to swim to get there. We all happily accepted his option. A short time later the boat stopped about 150 feet from a small cave entrance. I decided to take the plunge. The crystal clear water was so cold it literally took my breath away. It was a tough swim, despite the fact I’ve been swimming weekly for the past several months. I made it to the opening, ducked under a ridge and entered a beautiful world of the clearest greenest water I’ve ever seen. After a few minutes we headed back to the boat. When we returned snacks were served along with beverages.
One of Italy’s most famous natural sights are the Faraglioni. They consist of three towering rock formations that jut out from the Mediterranean. One of them has an arch large enough for boats to go through. The legend is that if you kiss when going through the arch your relationship will last forever. As our boat passed through the arch, the captain played Amore and Prosecco was served. A very nice touch.
We then were dropped off at the town of Capri, and choose to immediately board a bus taking us to Anacapri. We had 5 hours to explore the island on our own. We had heard that the town was less commercial and less crowded than Capri. This time we traveled in a large vehicle driving twisting, turning, narrow roads. At Anacapri we found a quiet place to sit and eat the bread, cheese and tomato sandwiches we have been given when leaving our boat.
Once again it felt like we were seeing the same shops, and the same crowds. However, we did enjoy a trip up to the top of Monte Solara, the highest point on the island. The only way to reach it would be walking or taking the chairlift Seggiovia Monte Solaro. It is about a 13 minute ride up. While the views were beautiful on the way up and down, the top of the mountain was covered in clouds.
There are a few other sights to see in Anacapri, but we opted to take the bus back down and spend some time in Capri. There we found even larger crowds of visitors, along with high end shops and luxury hotels. Window shopping was fun. Some of the merchandise was what you would see in some of the top fashion magazines and way over the top.
We did find some beautiful terraced gardens in Capri, the Giardini di Augusta. The gardens offered panoramic views of the coast, but some of the best vantage points were closed off to us due to a wedding.
Dan and I could see why emperors, poets, actors, and artists were drawn to the beauty of Capri. However, apart from the island’s physical beauty, we were ready to head back to Sorrento. The boat ride back was much quicker, and before we knew it we were back in our hotel.
BY THE WAY WITH WENDY & DAN 